Patrick Friesen
| birth_place = Steinbach, Manitoba | occupation = Teacher | nationality = Canadian | period = 1976—2007 | website = }} Patrick Frank Friesen (born 5 July 1946) is a Canadian poet and prose author. He has written many works, from poetry to stage plays. Life Friesen, was born in Steinbach, Manitoba. He comes from a Mennonite background and grew up in a small religious community, but broke away from that small community physically and spiritually at a young age. His Mennonite upbringing still influences his work, such as “The Shunning,” which is about the persecution of a Mennonite farmer questioning his religion. Friesen studied at the University of Manitoba, where he earned a B.A. with honors and a teaching certificate. He began his literary career in 1970, writing books of poetry. After being a resident of Winnipeg for 30 years, Friesen now lives in Victoria, British Columbia, where he taught creative writing at the University of Victoria until his retirement. Friesen often collaborates with dancers, choreographers, composers, and musicians. Along with writing poetry, he also writes songs for musicians and texts to Improv Piano. Writing In a 2004 interview Friesen has noted that, “Being Mennonite in background had all kinds of effects on his content.” Recognition Friesen won Manitoba Book of the Year for his work on Blasphemer’s Wheel. He was also the runner up in Milton Acorn’s People’s Poetry Awards. In 1997, A Broken Bowl was short listed for the Governor General's Award for English language poetry. Publications Poetry *''The Lands I Am: Poems''. Winnipeg, MB: Turnstone Press, 1976. *''Bluebottle''. Winnipeg, MB: Turnstone Press, 1978. ISBN 0-88807-007-9 *''The Shunning''. Winnipeg, MB: Turnstone Press, 1980. ISBN 0-88801-038-9 *''Unearthly Horses''. Winnipeg, MB: Turnstone Press, 1984. ISBN 0-88801-088-5 *''Flicker and Hawk''. Winnipeg, MB: Turnstone Press, 1987. ISBN 0-88801-113-X *''You Don't Get to Be a Saint''. Winnipeg, MB: Turnstone Press, 1992. ISBN 0-88801-163-6 *''Blashphemer's Wheel: Selected and new poems''. Winnipeg, MB: Turnstone Press, 1994. ISBN 0-88801-1792 *''A Broken Bowl''. London, ON: Brick Books, 1997. ISBN 0-919626-93-9 *''St. Mary at Main''. Victoria, BC: Muses' Co., 1998. ISBN 1-896239-32-3 *''Carrying the Shadow: Poems''. Vancouver: Press Porcepic, 1999. ISBN 0-888-78-401-5 *''The Breath You Take from the Lord''. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1-55017-284-0 *''Bordello Poems''. Vancouver: Vancouver Film School, 2004.Books, Patrick Friesen, Web, July 8, 2012. *''Earth's Crude Gravities''. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2007. * Jumping in the Asylum. Toronto: Quattro Books, 2011. *''A Dark Boat''. Anvil Press, 2012. *''A Short History of Crazy Bone''. Salt Spring Island, BC: Mother Tongue Publishing, 2015. Plays * The Shunning: The play. Toronto: Playwrights Canada, 1987; Winnipeg, MB: Scirocco Drama, 2010. *''The Raft''. Toronto: Playwrights Union of Canada, 1992. Non-fiction *''Interim: Essays and mediations''. Regina, SK: Hagios Press, 2006. ISBN 0-9739727-0-X Translated *Niels Hay, We Are Here: Poems (translated with Per Brask). Toronto: BookThug, 2006. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy the WorldCat.Search results = au:Patrick Friesen WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Sep. 26, 2015.. Plays performed *''The Shunning: The Play'', staged in 1985 by Prairie Theatre Exchange in Winnipeg, in 1992 by Theatre & Co. in Kitchener, in 1992 by Trinity Theatre in Livonia, Michigan, in 1993 by MAUS Theatre in B.C., and in 1995 by Two Planks and a Passion in Nova Scotia. *''Anna'', a dance/words collaboration with choreographer Stephanie Ballard, with guest artist Margie Gillis, performed in 1987 at the Gas Station Theatre in Winnipeg. *''Noah'', a multi-disciplinary collaboration, presented as a working piece in 1987 at Main Access Gallery, Winnipeg. *''Handful of Rain'', a multi-disciplinary collaboration with Dance Collective, and various artists, performed at Gas Station Theatre, Winnipeg, April, 1991. *''The Raft'', an original play, performed January, 1992 at Prairie Theatre Exchange in Winnipeg, in February 1995 by Theatre & Co. in Kitchener. *''Friday, 6:32 p.m., an original short play written for the Short Shots series, staged by the Manitoba Association of Playwrights, 1993. *''Old Woman and the Bones, collaboration with composer Michael Matthews, the musical group Thira, and Primus Theatre, staged at the New Music Festival in Winnipeg in February, 1993. *''Madrugada'' (a longer version of Old Woman and the Bones), performed by Groundswell and Primus Theatre at the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre in Winnipeg, April, 1995. *''The Shunning'', adapted, choreographed and performed by dance company Motus O at the Tarragon Theatre, Toronto, Sept. 13-17, 1995. *''Broken Bowl'' (segment from A Broken Bowl), created, performed with jazz pianist Marilyn Lerner, Sunstone Coffee, Winnipeg, July 17, 1996, at The Glass Slipper, Vancouver, Oct. 3, 1996, four performances at the Atlantic Jazz Festival, Halifax, July 1997 Audio / video Radio *''Amanda'', a short drama for CBC Radio Manitoba, 1986. *''Singer'', a docu-drama on Richard Manuel for CBC Radio Manitoba, 1989 (with Big Dave McLean). *''The Shunning'', a 1-hour radio adaptation for CBC Radio Canada, 1990 (producer: John Juliani). *''Second Birth'', a short drama for CBC Radio Canada, 1991. *''The Raft'', adapted for CBC Radio Canada, by Nancy Trites Botkin (producer: Kathleen Flaherty), 1997. *''Friday, 6:32 p.m., an original short play written for the Short Shots series, staged by the Manitoba Association of Playwrights, 1993. *''Old Woman and the Bones, collaboration with composer Michael Matthews, the musical group Thira, and Primus Theatre, staged at the New Music Festival in Winnipeg in February, 1993. *''Madrugada'' (a longer version of Old Woman and the Bones), performed by Groundswell and Primus Theatre at the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre in Winnipeg, April, 1995. *''The Shunning'', adapted, choreographed and performed by dance company Motus O at the Tarragon Theatre, Toronto, Sept. 13-17, 1995. *''Broken Bowl'' (segment from A Broken Bowl), and recorded by CBC Radio Manitoba, and called Blue Door (producer: Andrea Ratuski), 1996. *''Voice'', a radio documentary (featuring Big Dave McLean and Tracey Dahl), by CBC Radio Manitoba (Producer: Andrea Ratuski), 1996. Film *''Esther Warkov: A Spy in the House''; producer - 1983. *''Don Proch: The Spirit of Assessippi''; writer/producer/director - 1985. *''Patrick Lane''; director/producer - 1985. *''A Ritual of Horses: The art of Michael Olito''; director - 1987. *''Rising to Dance'', a documentary on senior students at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet; director – 1990. *''Together As One: A Dance Collaboration''; writer/director/producer - 1991. Discography *''Blue Door'' – 1997 (with Marilyn Lerner) *''Small Rooms'' – 2003 (with Marilyn Lerner) *''Calling the Dog Home'' – 2005 (with Marilyn Lerner) See also *List of Canadian poets *List of English-language playwrights References Notes External links ;Poems *Three poems by Patrick Friesen at the Winnipeg Review *Patrick Friesen at Canadian Poetry Online (6 poems) ;Audio / video *Patrick Friesen at YouTube ;Books *Patrick Friesen at Amazon.com ;About *Patrick Friesen at Brick Books *Patrick Friesen in the Canadian Encyclopedia *Patrick Friesen in the Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature *Patrick Friesen Official website *Patrick Friesen Official weblog Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian poets Category:Canadian Mennonites Category:Mennonite writers Category:People from Steinbach, Manitoba Category:20th-century poets Category:21st-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets